April 6, 2009, - 9:00 pm
Sharia’s Here: Tennessee Muslims Seek Alcohol-Free “Buffer Zones”
By Debbie Schlussel
Say good-bye, America.
Today, American Muslims seek alcohol-free “buffer zones.” Tomorrow, pork-free zones. Next week, monogamy-free zones. And next month, they’ll be seeking infidel-free “buffer zones.”
They ask us to be “tolerant” of their extremism. But they won’t be tolerant of practices that are traditionally American with the new mini-prohibition they are seeking.
The Knoxville News Sentinel is calling this a “cultural divide.” But that’s based on the faulty assumption that we actually have two “cultures” here. Sadly, the paper doesn’t realize that barbarism isn’t culture.
Wake up, America.
On one side of the disagreement is a Muslim mosque, and some of its worshippers are unhappy about plans for a new restaurant that will serve alcohol.
On the opposing end of the clash is a business owner who says he’s invested $1 million to upgrade a blighted building and has tried to accommodate Muslim worshippers during spiritual holidays.
The two entities – The Hill restaurant and the Anoor mosque – are a mere 191 feet apart.
Building owner Trevor Hill wants to offer alcoholic drinks along with home-cooking-style dinner and lunch menus, and he hopes to launch the eatery in about a week. He’ll keep the restaurant open as late at night as is still profitable in hope of appealing to the young residents of Fort Sanders, where the building is located.
The possibility that the restaurant could serve as a local drinking hangout bothers mosque attendees like board member Nadeem Sidiqqi.
Islam prohibits the consumption of alcohol, but Sidiqqi said the protest isn’t an attack on drinking in general, just a call for buffer zones for religious establishments.
“People may say ‘we may not want to go to this mosque’ if it’s not a good environment,” Sidiqqi said. “You want an area where you can bring your kids or your family.” . . .
Hill said that he has offered to work with mosque board members during the holy period of Ramadan, when Knoxville-area Muslims often pray at the mosque late into the night.
Hill feels he is being unjustly targeted.
“I’ve taken a building that’s been a total eyesore . . . really gone out on a limb and taken a risk for the benefit of the Fort Sanders community,” he said, explaining that he has a mortgage and roughly a $1 million investment in the building. “It’s not fair for me to be discriminated against any more than it is for them to be discriminated against.”
Hey, dude, welcome to Islam.
The two buildings are 191 feet apart, though the distance between their front doors is longer. . . .
Knoxville’s local beer ordinance establishes a 300-foot buffer zone around churches and other similar institutions for a beer permit but waives the requirement if the establishment is granted a liquor license by the state of Tennessee.
Wanda Day, an employee with the Knoxville Beer Board, said in the past year one or two other establishments have obtained liquor licenses and subsequently beer permits, despite being within 300 feet of a church or school. . . .
Virginia Stooksbury, administrative secretary at the Knoxville ABC office, said she’s heard complaints from a couple members of the Knoxville Muslim community, but unless there’s a legal reason to deny Hill a permit, the office will give him the go-ahead.
Let’s hope. Watch for the Muslims to sue to keep the bar out.
Question: Is it just me, or do you think the bar should be more concerned with how the mosque is ruining the neighborhood than the mosque should be with the bar allegedly “ruining” the neighborhood.
This is a no-brainer about which is more dangerous to America. I never ever heard of one drunk driver flying planes into buildings and instandly murdering 3,000 Americans. Some people are drunk on alcohol. But that can be cured. Some people are drunk on Islam. And, well, there’s no Betty Al-Ford Clinic for them.
I hope the guy makes sure that pork is on the menu.
And working with them to schedule different hours during Ramadan? What the heck is he thinking?
Is this America or an Islamic Republic?
Getting harder and harder to answer the question.
Oh, by the way, you know who also wouldn’t drink alcohol?
Him.
Coexist
13.2 Million Jews < 1.2 Billion Muslims
Remember bullying back in middle school? well according to these statistics this is completely the opposite of how bullying actually works.
Pathetic. محزن . פָּתֵטִי.
crestmarware on April 6, 2009 at 9:48 pm